A few days ago, The Standard Catalog of Japanese Motorcycles 1959-2007 arrived and it looks like I'll be referring to it quite often. Inside are pages filled with photos and lists of literally every Japanese motorcycle offered for sale in the U.S. from 1959 through 2007. If you have a need or desire to know who sold what and when, this is your book. It's not anything other … [Read more...]
MotoGP Technology
MotoGP is like Formula One, extremely expensive, high tech and secret. Everyone wants to know what the other guys are doing but unless you're part of the team, you only see the results on the track, the inner workings of the engine and chassis are kept under wraps. When the allowed engine displacements were reduced from 990cc to 800cc, we were given an unusual opportunity to … [Read more...]
Motorcycle Road and Racing Chassis
If the names Bakker, Dresda, Harris, Spondon or many others like them ring a bell, you'll find Motorcycle Road & Racing Chassis a very interesting book. Just published, it covers 15 specialty frame builders, some still in business, some not, with stories of how they came about and photos of the frames and completed bikes they built over the years. If you read The Kneeslider, … [Read more...]
Up-N-Smoke Engine Project Book Needs Writers
Are you a vintage motorcycle engine expert? Do you know the ins and outs of engines from Vincent and Norton and some of the other famous marques? Last year I pointed out Daniel Pierce's Up-N-Smoke Project, a series of excellent photos depicting powerplants from many of the best known vintage motorcycles. Dan has decided to put them all together in a book and he's looking for a … [Read more...]
What Motorcycle Magazines Do Best
If you have been reading The Kneeslider for any length of time you're already familiar with Jesse James' radial motorcycle, the Wakan 1640, Roland Sands' KRV5, Matt Hotch's Vinnie, the new Vmax, the eCycle hybrid motorcycle, the new Can-Am Spyder, the changing trend away from the old choppers and even the recent CARB fines Jesse James faced over some motorcycles he built. So it … [Read more...]
Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance
Sooner or later your motorcycle will need some basic maintenance and repair. Even when things are running great you still need to change the oil periodically, check tire pressure, look for loose bolts and nuts and make a few adjustments here and there. If you are new to all of this, owning your first motorcycle perhaps or even a veteran rider who just never took the time to … [Read more...]